Winter
by disneyclassics101
Summary: Winter: the coldest season of the year. Winter, which kills humans, freezes fairies, and harms birds. Winter, which has separated lover from lover, soul mate from soul mate, fairy prince from human girl. Winter, which usually wins. But what if it miscalculates this time? And Cornelius is able to find Thumbelina in the blizzard plaguing the Vale? Note: I do not own DB's "Thumbelina"
1. Chapter 1

**Winter**

~0~

 _Winter had come too soon_.

Hours turned to days. Days turned to weeks. Weeks blended into the never-ending white. White, which stood up and around and around and around until color was almost forgotten. White, which crawled its way down to the bone, which bared and exposed all the underlying ignorance, all the unattainable skills for survival.

 _Winter had come too soon._

Winter was impossible to escape now. It had descended unforgivingly onto the land, harsher, almost to highlight its displeasure with recent events. Yet, adding to it.

Thumbelina couldn't recall a winter as harsh as this. Of course, it could very well be due to her being in the gist of it. Never had she been outside during the winter season. Always snug and cozy in her little blankets, sitting on her mother's shoulder or nose, Thumbelina had never had any desire to wonder out into the yard to have the chilling wind knock her off her feet. Yet, here she was, unwillingly crawling through the frozen Earth, lost and bewildered, hoping to spot a familiar face – a kind one – yet not wishing them to suffer the same misery bestowed upon her.

 _Winter had come too soon._

Thumbelina no longer had control over her body. How could she, when the cold has taken refuge in her skin and left her turned inside out, exposed to the elements? It shivered against her will, protesting over her environment.

She wondered how she was going to make it out.

Oh, how she wished Cornelius would miraculously fly by, calling for her, to embrace her and warm her and take her back home to her mother. It had been weeks since she had last seen him. Her only comfort now was she that she had not lost the ring he had bestowed upon her their last night together.

She rubbed her cheek on it to feel a sense of closeness with her beloved, but ended up flinching at the piercing cold of the gold.

She missed his warmth.

~0~

He couldn't blame his father. He couldn't blame his mother either. He had been asking a lot when he implored them to hold off the winter frost for as long as possible. And while they had been able to hold it off for a day, he knew fairies were born to aid Mother Earth, not compete with her. No, he couldn't blame them. But he could blame himself.

Sure, he wasn't the one to take his beloved from her home, nor was he the one to strand Thumbelina in this never-ending sea of frozen water, but he was the one to expose her to the occupants of the forest, to the ones who would forcibly whisk her away from all she had known. He knew that as the crown prince he shouldn't have been so frivolous and carefree in where he took his Thumbelina. After all, anyway who was discontent with the current fairy rulers would find any method to get back at the royals, and keeping the little human girl the prince had fallen for hostage was a good opportunity for them to do so, even if she wasn't the prince's fiancé as of yet, unlike what the rumors claim.

Oh yes, he knew the rumors all too well. He cringed upon first learning of them. Not because it was partly untrue – he wished it was all true already! – but that he had wanted his proposal to be a surprise for Thumbelina. He hoped she hadn't heard them yet.

He smirked to himself at the irony of his thoughts. Just a month – no, a week – before meeting Thumbelina he had scoffed at the idea of settling down with a future Queen when his parents suggested the idea. But look at him now, worrying over whether his princess had heard some flimsy rumors.

There were more important issues to worry about.

Like this blasted winter that had _come too soon_.

"Thumbelina! Thumbelina, can you hear me?" He called, desperate to find her before the frost threatened to freeze him into an icicle. "Thumbelina!"

He grunted went a particularly strong gust of wind threatened to blow them off course. Out of reflex, he tightened his hands around Buzzby's antennae, which had the bumble buzzing in protest. Cornelius loosened his hold. "I'm sorry, Buzz." He had to lean forward to the bumble's head so his voice wasn't lost to the wind. Not that it mattered as the wind shifted direction again and threw back in the direction they were originally going in. Cornelius and Buzzby took advantage of this for the few minutes it was in their favor, before it shifted again. Cornelius grit his teeth and called out "Don't worry, Buzz. We're going to make it!" encouragingly to the bumble, although a grand measure of doubt failed to ease its grip on the fairy prince's mind.

His worry wasn't unwarranted as they accidently flew through an obstacle in their path and he made the mistake of looking back to see what it is instead of where they were going. Without his passenger helping him steer, Buzzby soon lost control of his flight and both he and his cargo plummeted into the frozen land below. Buzzby was lucky enough to get stuck in a bank of snow, but Cornelius wasn't having the best day it seemed as a snowball hit his back and he plummeted into the icy waters of a pond.

It was a good thing fairies didn't always rely on flight as he oriented himself and started swimming for the surface.

It was a difficult task. The water was frozen over yet but it certainly wasn't completely fluid either. It was thick and dense, and he could feel heavy resistance against his limbs. His wings were stiff, his eyeballs burned from the water, his hair felt heavy on his head. He also felt like a thousand knives were pricking at his skin, it was so cold. His hearing was dull, his clothes were an uncomfortable wrapping, and his sword proved to be an annoying asset at this moment. He could feel the pressure of the water settling in to his bones. It swirled around his neck like a ring of death. His limbs didn't stroke as much anymore. The water wasn't as fluid anymore. The prickling knives ceased to poke but instead just held themselves there. His movement slowed more and more. It felt like eternity before his finger breeched the surface, followed by his wrist, his arm, head, shoulder, torso, leg, his other leg as the water grew denser and denser until it was a solid wall encasing his left foot, unwilling to let go of its first winter victim.

Cornelius grit his teeth at his uncomfortable predicament.

Buzzby, now having shaken off the snow preventing his flight, buzzed around the captured form of his master.

"You have got to be kidding me!" Cornelius growled in frustration, as he flung out his sword and began hacking at the ice around his foot. He barely made a dent with his first strike. He channeled fairy dust into the sword and tried again. A chip. He sighed sharply. It was going to be a while.

Two hours later and the fairy prince's arms felt like rubber. He had gotten most of the ice chipped away but his arms barely had the will to raise and strike again. The sole of his foot was still stuck in the ice. Right as Cornelius was going to cry out in anger, Buzzby – his ever faithful companion – nudged his head. The bumble lowered its head, indicating his antennae when the prince turned to look. It only took a second for the prince to understand what his friend was saying. Using all his might to fling his hands onto the antennae, the fairy prince grit his teeth as the bumble flapped his wings as fast as possible. He flapped his own in an effort to help, and it seemed as if their efforts paid off as Cornelius' foot popped out of the ice and he went stumbling onto the ice face first.

Cornelius groaned at the pain and sat up, clutching his nose. Eager to get his mistress back so they could return to the warmth of the Vale, Buzzby pushed against the prince's back, which flung him haphazardly onto the bumble. They took off once again.

After righting himself and rubbing his nose for a bit, Cornelius resumed his mission of calling for his lady. Having lost his helmet in the tumble from earlier, he had to shield his eyes using his arm.

He shivered.

"Thumbelina, where are you? Thumbelina!"

~0~

Even if it was an annoyance, it was a very good thing Cornelius got delayed at the frozen pond for not far away now was the very lady he has been looking for.

She thought she had found a site of haven when she found the little tree truck cavern. She saw a roof, a tree trunk on two sides, and some darkness signifying it was a long tavern. Unfortunately, it was a straight and true route, meaning the openings on either side created a steady and freezing draft that cut sharply into Thumbelina the moment she stepped close to it. She shuddered violently at the blast of cold air and whimpered. It wasn't what she thought it was but with no other route around, she grit her teeth and dashed through it.

She still couldn't figure out where she was, so she trekked on in a vain hope that she could spot her mother's house in the distance.

She didn't see the puddle fast enough.

Thumbelina gasped as the half-frozen water seeped into the folds of her dress and embraced her skin below. She coughed immediately after as the cold air harshly moved down her throat and chilled her insides. She dropped onto the snow next to the puddle and shivered violently. She would've cried had she been able to produce any tears. Thumbelina couldn't help but wonder if she would ever be able to find her way home.

"….na!"

Thumbelina didn't immediately react as the wind whistling through could have made the sound. But the sound came again a second later.

"….lina!"

Thumbelina looked around frantically. "Hello? Is anyone there?" She shouted before coughing.

"…belina!"

There was definitely someone there. "Hello?! Cornelius?! Is that you? Hello!"

"…you? Thumbelina!"

Thumbelina jumped up and started searching the sky. "I'm here! Cornelius? Anybody? I'm right here!" She started jumping around despite her feet getting soaked with the snow, before spotting an old shoe on a hill and deciding that a little elevation might help her. She continued shouting as she hiked to the shoe.

~0~

"….nelius!...ov…ere! Cor…lius!"

Cornelius' head shot up as the sweetest voice he ever heard cut through the unforgiving winter gust. "Thumbelina? Thumbelina, is that you?! Where are you?"

"O…here! Cornelius!" came the voice from his right. Cornelius didn't even have to prompt Buzzby over to the voice, before he was already coming upon his sweetheart. "Cornelius!" she cried out in relief, with a huge grin on her face.

Cornelius could almost cry in relief too. "Thumbelina, I found you! I'm never letting you out of my sight again!" He proclaimed, shooting off of Buzzby in order to twirl around his love. Thumbelina laughed cheerfully, before Cornelius' mouth covered her lips. Thumbelina was surprised but eagerly reciprocated and pulled him close. She shuddered at the feel of his warm chest pressed against her own, creating a sharp contrast against the biting cold against her back.

Cornelius' felt the shudder too, and the cold-water enveloping Thumbelina's form, so pulled back. "We need to get you out of here." Thumbelina nodded as Cornelius picked her up and settled her on Buzzby, her back to his front, and sighed contently. Feeling safe, her eyes started drooping. She blinked fiercely trying to remain awake now that she had Cornelius to keep her company but she lost the battle soon after.

When he spotted his beloved and had her in his arms, tension had left the fairy princes body. He had his girl, she was safe, and they both could finally escape the winter frost. However, a new tension was stiffening his body as he just started noticing just how gray the world looked now. Gray and white blended together to make a disorienting combo that would throw any weary traveler off. There was nothing to see for miles around. The only thing Cornelius could see nearby were the trees and the banks of snow littering the ground. "We have to find shelter, Buzzby! We're going to have to wait for morning!"

Buzzby buzzed in agreement and they booked it out of there, searching for any kind of shelter. It was difficult though. Not only was every crevice covered with snow or frozen over, but the very air they breathed continued to pelt them with snowballs which they had to dodge frantically. Feeling Thumbelina slipping out of his arms, Cornelius looked down and cursed at seeing her unconscious form. "Wake up, Thumbelina!" She was too cold for his liking. "Don't do this to me, Thumbelina!" He shook her a little, "Thumbelina!" No response. Cornelius grit his teeth and tried to keep his mind focused on getting out of the blizzard.

He gasped and dodged a low hanging branch. He didn't make the mistake of looking back this time. He tightened his grip on his sweetheart and began searching frantically for shelter. He tried and almost failed at keeping his mind sharp and positive until salvation arrived. Spotting a pile of rocks, Cornelius guided his bumble close to it and – while not the best shelter – deemed it suitably enough for their purposes.

He was quick to make his unconscious future bride comfortable in the meager dwelling. Feeling her face, he crinkled his eyebrows in worry at feeling no warmth seeping from her skin. Looking around he spotted some twigs on the ground and hastily went to work collecting all the twigs and piling them close to Thumbelina. Grabbing a pebble and pulling out his sword, Cornelius sent a mental thanks to his father for making him learn how to make a fire as he tried to ignite a flame on the makeshift fire pit. It took a few tries but Cornelius sighed in relief when the first signs of smoke began wafting to his face. He held his breath when the flame wavered for a moment before it got stronger. He was quick to return to Thumbelina.

"Oh Thumbelina…" Cornelius sighed when he moved to shift her closer to the fire and felt her trembling form. He frantically rubbed at her arms and hugged her form. "Please, please warm up Thumbelina. You need to wake up for me, please." He muttered to her.

A few minutes later, she was still trembling. She also started perspiring.

"Oh dear. Oh no, oh no." _What should I do? How do I warm her – oh._ Glancing down at her wet clothes, Cornelius blushed. He glanced at Buzzby almost looking for guidance but saw the bumblebee looking away, already snoozing. Shaking his head a little, Cornelius bit his lip and threw caution to the wind. _Come on, boy. Thumbelina's life is in danger!_

Still, keeping a sense of propriety, Cornelius made sure to keep his eyes _only_ on his fingers as they unbuttoned the back of Thumbelina's dress and most definitely _not_ on Thumbelina's smooth milky bare ba- _Focus!_

Cornelius grimaced as he pulled her dress away as quickly as possible, making sure to look at the rock wall, before turning around and laying her dress to dry next to the fire. He stood up on his knees and took off his top. It was made of various fabrics and patting the inside proved that it was not completely soaked through. He turned and spread the jacket across her back like a blanket before lying down next to her. He gathered her up and swallowed at feeling skin to skin contact. _Oh dear, she's not wearing any-Leave it for the wedding!_

Cornelius dropped his head onto Thumbelina's shoulder and sighed deeply. Now was not the time for him to be thinking of Thumbelina's state of undress. She was definitely showing signs of fever now.

He hoped his above normal-for-humans body temperature could help warm her up until morning.

Cornelius wouldn't get any sleep that night. Not just because he had to keep watch over Thumbelina, who was suffering the effects of being out in the snow with only a flimsy dress made for autumn – which was a big part of the reason – but because Thumbelina's little puffs of air were tickling his neck and running down his chest in a very pleasant way and there was _no way_ he was going to be able to go to sleep with that sensation distracting him.

Cornelius sighed and prayed for morning.

~0~

Surprisingly, Cornelius' eyes opened when he felt sunshine upon his face. He had fallen asleep at some point that night. It seems the cold was affecting him too.

He shifted a little to relieve some ache in his body and smiled when he heard Thumbelina mumble into his neck. The smile turned into a frown when he looked down and saw her flushed face. Placing his hand on her forehead, Cornelius grimaced at how hot her skin was now.

"Buzzby," Cornelius hissed, looking toward his loyal companion.

No response.

"Buzzby, wake up. It's morning we need to go to Thumbelina's mother."

Slight stirring from the bumblebee.

"Buzzby!" Cornelius screamed in a whisper, finally getting the attention of his friend, though he had to rub Thumbelina's back when she mumbled and shifted slightly. "Come on, we have to go."

Buzzby buzzed.

"I promise we're going someplace warmer. Trust me."

Buzzby flailed his antennae in acquiesce.

"Ok, good." Cornelius smiled, pulling back to sit up, forgetting momentarily how he had to undress Thumbelina and receiving an eyeful accidently. He looked away sharply, blushing slightly, and adjusted his top over her body. Picking up her dress, he was grateful at seeing it dry – if not a little wrinkled and torn up – as he had no other clothes to give Thumbelina at the moment. He imagined Thumbelina's mother wouldn't be too happy if some boy she didn't know showed up with her unconscious and barely clothed daughter.

Redressing her again proved to be another battle with his eyes as the morning light revealed a few more contours of her body that he couldn't see the night before. As it was, he got a bit distracted when his fingers accidently grazed her back and he unconsciously caressed the skin for a few seconds more, his eyes fixed on that one spot, until a buzz brought his mind back to order. He was quick to finish after that.

Pulling his own top on, Cornelius hastily covered the fire pit with some dirt using his foot before bending down and picking up Thumbelina delicately. Hoping not to jostle her out of sleep, Cornelius chose to fly with her onto Buzzby and made sure she was comfortably positioned before signaling Buzzby to take off.

Once outside and slightly high in the sky, Cornelius sighed in relief at seeing that that day was much calmer and clearer than the previous. In fact, as Buzzby flew higher Cornelius let out a "Yes!" at spotting Thumbelina's house not too far off. He laughed in glee. At least the winter frost wasn't entirely against them if it drove them this close to her home.

~0~

In the same dwelling currently being stalked by a fairy prince and a bumblebee, one could hear the occasional clanging of pots and cutlery coming from the kitchen. If one paid closer attention, one could also hear the occasional sniffles coming from the person doing the cooking and an answering whimper from the old guard dog resting by the doorway. One could also not help but notice the oppressive silence coming from all around the property.

The silence was loud to Thumbelina's mother's ears. It had been months since her house had been missing the sounds of conversations and childish mutterings. Thumbelina had brought a light to the property when she left her little flower that day. There wasn't one morning that passed where Thumbelina couldn't be found asking her mother all about her days from before her existence or about the recipes being used for breakfast or even just slight humming as both ladies harmonized to a nice bedtime hymn.

The missing status of the little flower girl had hit everyone at the house hard. Hero no longer ran around in excitement, for he was ashamed that he couldn't have helped poor little Thumbelina when that disgusting toad woman took her. The farm animals no longer sang or did much of anything but drink, eat, and sleep. Mother went about her chores with half her mind far away with her daughter. The first thought she had upon waking was about the whereabouts of her daughter and the last thought of the day was whether her daughter was safe and warm.

She had no way of knowing that her daughter was approaching fast in the arms of a fairy boy until said fairy boy, upon his transported, quite literally crashed into the window of her daughter's room.

She almost jumped out of her skin when she heard the bang before literally running up the stairs with Hero yapping at her heel.

Quickly opening her daughter's bedroom door, Thumbelina's mother looked around franticly to see what had made the noise until Hero directed her attention to the window with his barking. "Oh my goodness!" She breathed out when she noticed the fairy rubbing at the head of the bumblebee he sat upon. It seems that the force of their crash was enough to slam the window closed, which was the source of the noise.

Seeing something blue moving in the fairy's arms, Thumbelina's mother looked closer before crying out and hurrying to let them in. "Thumbelina! Sweetheart!" The fairy prince and bumblebee were quick to look up at her.

When she swung the window open, the fairy boy wasted no time in flying over to the crib to let go of his precious cargo.

"How is she? Is she okay?" Thumbelina's mother asked, not really caring exactly who it was that brought Thumbelina home.

"She has a fever, Mrs… Madam. She was freezing last night. I tried my best to warm her up until the weather cleared." Cornelius said, brushing away some hair off Thumbelina's forehead. "I fear she has a fever."

"Oh dear. I'll be right back. Stay here, Hero."

Cornelius didn't look up as he continued to caress Thumbelina's face. He barely even looked up when Hero placed his two front legs on the crib to get a better look at his younger mistress.

A few minutes later, Thumbelina's mother came back in carrying a small wash cloth and a cup of water.

"She needs to be washed down," she commented, setting the materials on the table.

Cornelius looked up at that. "I'll do it."

Thumbelina's mother turned to him sharply. "What? I'll be doing the washing."

"It will be easier for me to do it."

"That's improper! How do you even know my daughter?"

Cornelius smiled and looked back to Thumbelina. "I hope to marry her."

"Oh!" Thumbelina's mother was surprised. "What is your name?"

"Cornelius."

"How long have you known my daughter?"

"I met Thumbelina on the windowsill the night she taken."

Thumbelina's mother's eyebrows rose. "You wouldn't happen to know about that, would you?"

Cornelius frowned. "All I know is what I heard from Hero, that a toad had taken her from here. I looked for her for days and only found her on accident." Cornelius shook his head and grit his teeth. "I heard she was being chased by one. If I ever find that toad I'm gonna-"

Rough coughing interrupted his voiced threat and both their attentions diverted to the sickly girl.

"She still needs to be washed down and she has to change that dress. It's not suitable for this weather." She looked at Cornelius, who gazed back at her frowning. "Son, you can't be in here for that."

Cornelius shook his head. "I'm not leaving her. The last time I did she got kidnapped." But meeting her halfway he flew to the window and sat with his back to the females. "I won't look," he promised.

Thumbelina's mother sighed but went to work.

A few seconds after the sound of dripping water stopped and the sound of clothes rustling started, a slight groan could be heard, followed by "Mother?", causing Cornelius to stiffen and forcibly stop himself from turning around.

"Shhh, Thumbelina. Shhh. You're safe at home." Thumbelina's mother told her, smiling in relief.

"Oh." Thumbelina muttered, her eyes fluttering as her head turned side to side. "Cornelius?"

"I'm here, Thumbelina. Go back to sleep." Cornelius piped up.

Not fighting his advice, Thumbelina fell back to a fitful sleep.

Two days later, Cornelius woke up to the wonderful discovery that Thumbelina's fever broke sometime in the night and her face was smoothed out with peace. He smiled at her and kissed her forehead affectionately, choosing to stay lying next to her a few minutes more before he went down to join Thumbelina's mother.

He found her preparing the recipes for a loaf of bread down in the kitchen.

He took a seat lotus style on a table away from her and just watched for a few moments, before calling out a greeting.

"Good morning, madam!"

Thumbelina's mother smiled at him. "Good morning, Cornelius. How is Thumbelina doing?"

Grabbing hold of his ankles, Cornelius rocked a little. "She's better. Sleeping. Her fever broke sometime last night, so I hope she's up and about tonight."

"That's wonderful. I've never seen my little girl so sick before. She gave me a fright." Thumbelina's mother sighed sadly.

Watching her for a moment, Cornelius frowned thoughtfully. "Madam-"

"Oh dear, you can call me _Maman_. You can get some practice for when you marry Thumbelina." Thumbelina's mother said cheekily.

Cornelius lightly blushed. "I haven't asked her yet," he muttered, looking down.

"Dearie, if she's as in love with you as you are of her, she'll say yes."

"Thank you, mada- _Maman_ ," Cornelius smiled shyly.

"What were you going to ask me, son?"

"Oh yes, well. I was wondering how a human as big as you had a human as small as Thumbeli-Wait! That didn't come out correctly. I mean, how did-"

Thumbelina's mother laughed lightly. "It's all right, son. I understand." Beginning to knead the dough, Thumbelina's mother continued, "I didn't give birth to Thumbelina if that's what you are wondering."

"You adopted her?"

"Not exactly." Giving the dough one last hit, Thumbelina's mother began folding the dough into shape. "You see, I had always dreamed of having children to tell stories to, to play with, to sing to. But I was never able to have children. When my husband passed, I had this whole farm to myself and no one to share it with. I longed to have a child to call my own so I paid a visit to a good witch I knew from my courting days and she gave me a barleycorn. She told me to plant it and when a flower bloomed, between the petals was my darling girl." She smiled.

Cornelius frowned thoughtfully again. "A barleycorn?" He could feel a little flutter in his memories about something to do with barleycorn but the memory was escaping him. He filed the information for later.

"So how exactly did you meet my daughter, Cornelius? You never elaborated."

Cornelius laughed. "Pure coincidence! I was on Buzzby, my bumble, trying to get away from my parents and I heard the most beautiful voice. I followed it and found Thumbelina dancing and singing on the windowsill. I went in, we talked, and then I took Thumbelina around the Val – meadow where we danced and sang." Going down memory lane the way he was, two and two got put together and he suddenly gasped and stood up. "The toad! We passed by a traveling toad show that night! Oh no!" He stomped his foot and hung his head. "This is my fault! They would have never known about Thumbelina if I never took her out that night!"

Thumbelina's mother shook her head. "You couldn't have known, dear. Now I don't know what Thumbelina went through out there in the cold but what matters is that you searched for her and found her. She's safe now in her bed and it's all because of you."

Cornelius shook his head. "She wouldn't have been out there in the first place if I hadn't taken her to the toads." He flopped down in shame.

"The way I see it, you didn't lead them to Thumbelina's window that night. No. Choosing to search for her and kidnap her was all on the toad." She smiled at him. "You can't control what other people do, Cornelius. You can only control what you do, and choosing to search for Thumbelina through this horrible winter is a big plus in my book. I'm positive Thumbelina won't blame you either."

Right as Cornelius' mouth opened to comment, Hero pounced down the steps barking excitedly. Cornelius flew up hurriedly as Thumbelina's mother straightened up. "What happened, Hero? Is it Thumbelina?"

Hero barked at him and wagged his tail.

"She's awake?" Cornelius exclaimed happily. "Thumbelina!" he cried out, flying to her room with Thumbelina's mother walking briskly behind him.

Upstairs, sitting up and looking around tiredly, sat Thumbelina, who was slightly disoriented as to what was going on. She clearly remembered being found by Cornelius out in the snow, and she vaguely got an impression of being taken somewhere on Buzzby, but she couldn't quite remember when they had gotten to her mother's house. Either way, she was happy finally being home. She grew even happier when Cornelius burst in through the door and barely held back from ramming into her with a hug.

"You're awake!" He cried out, before smacking lips with her. He pulled away and held her face in his hands. "Don't you ever do that to me again."

"Do what?" She asked, a little breathless.

"You've been asleep for two days, sweetie."

Turning to see her mother in the doorway, Thumbelina squealed and tried to stand up. Thumbelina's mother laid her hand down in front of her to lift her. "Mother! Mother, I've missed you," Thumbelina cried out, hugging her mother's thumb as she was brought up to her mother's eye line.

Thumbelina's mother's eyes crinkled at the corners as her smile grew. "Oh, Thumbelina. I've missed you too, baby girl. I'm glad you're ok now," she said lovingly. And having a burst of mischief, said: "We must thank Cornelius over there for bringing you back. He's been such a gentleman."

Cornelius flew onto her hand hearing his name and smiled at Thumbelina.

Remembering that her mother hadn't met her beau yet, Thumbelina hurried to explain. "Oh, Mother, I can explain…"

"No need, Thumbelina. Cornelius explained it all to me. I'm happy you both found each other. Although, I'm not happy with you leaving without telling me, Thumbelina. We'll have some words on that later."

"Mother-"

"Madam-"

Holding up a hand, she stopped their commentaries. "Nope. What's done is done. Besides, there are more important things to talk about now, like what exactly happened after you were kidnapped Thumbelina."

"You weren't hurt, were you?" Cornelius asked worriedly, grabbing hold of her hand.

Moving to get comfortable in the rocking chair, Thumbelina's mother set them down in the crib again.

"No, I wasn't hurt. I had lots of people helping me," Thumbelina assured him, smiling. "Uh-Where should I start?" she pondered to herself.

"We know a toad took you."

"Oh yes, those awful toads. Well, I woke up when I felt my bed close around me. I called for Hero and I heard him barking at someone but I lost consciousness after that. When I woke up, there was this toad woman telling me I could be famous if I joined their toad family. She had me perform with them that day and then she said I had to marry her son!"

"What?" Cornelius scowled.

"Oh my." Thumbelina's mother gasped.

"Yes, and then they just left me on a lily pad as they left to who knows where. And-and I didn't know how to swim so I started calling for help, when this nice bird heard me and-" Thumbelina gasped. "Jacquimo! Oh no, he's still out there looking for you, Cornelius!"

"Looking for me? Who's Jacquimo?"

"Jacquimo was helping me look for you. I knew you lived in the Vale of the Fairies but I didn't know where that was so he was asking around to see if anyone knew." Thumbelina dropped her head into her hands. "Oh no, he's stuck out there in the snow. I don't know where he is! What if something happened to him?!"

Cornelius hugged her. "Don't worry, Thumbelina. I'll send word through the Vale that I've found you. Look, if he hears that, he'll be sure to stop looking and find shelter. Ok?" Cornelius stroked her hair. "Don't cry."

Thumbelina sniffled as Cornelius wiped a tear away. "I suppose." She smiled at him and he smiled back.

Thumbelina's mother, forgotten for a moment, smiled at their little moment. Perhaps Thumbelina really had found herself a nice catch. The thought both gladdened her and saddened her, if only that her little girl was growing up and might be leaving soon.

Unwilling to dwell on that thought, she gently nudged for the rest of the story. "I'm sure he will be all right, Thumbelina darling. Now, what did he do when he found you?"

"Oh yes, well, Jacquimo heard me calling for help and he went under the lily pad and cut it by the stem. But the current was too strong and we couldn't stop the lily pad from going over the waterfall-"

Thumbelina's mother brought a hand up to her chest in slight fright. "Goodness!"

"-so we ended up calling for help again and two fishes and the Jitterbugs came over to help. They got me onto the shore and they encouraged me to look for my home or you, Cornelius. I went off with Gnatty, Lil' Bee, and Baby Bug but we got stopped by a beetle before the end of the day. I asked if he could take me up a tree because maybe I could see my house up there, but he would only take me up if I sang with him during his show." Wriggling her hands together, she muttered, "I never got to sing. He made a show about me being ugly."

Cornelius and Thumbelina's mother frowned, well scowled in the former's case. "Ugly? Thumbelina, you're the most beautiful girl I've ever seen! How could anyone ever think you are ugly?"

Thumbelina smiled shyly. "Thank you. That's what Jacquimo said." She spent the next few minutes wrapping up the story of her kidnapping up until where Cornelius found her shivering in the cold.

"Well, that was quite the story there, sweetheart. I'm so glad you're safe and sound now…."

~0~

It was several days before Thumbelina felt energetic enough to get out of bed and out of her room, and all the while, Cornelius couldn't help but think about how much he wanted to pound the stupid toad and beetle for ever thinking of making a fool of his wonderful Thumbelina. How dare they try to force her to marry them or call her ugly?! Again, Cornelius couldn't help but wish he had come across one of the two so he could teach them a lesson or two on how to treat a lady.

At least, Thumbelina had no idea that the toad had been searching for her, if what the Jitterbugs said was true. It was a good thing too, otherwise Thumbelina might not have been as happy and carefree as she currently was now that she was back in her house.

Presently, Thumbelina was humming a sweet song she had heard from a passerby several months before they had met, and insisting to twirl around to the beat, had taken Cornelius in hand to dance with to the romantic tune. And not having much else to do in a house that towered over him by a thousand times, Cornelius went along with her little pastime.

Wanting to be certain that Thumbelina really was as happy as she seemed, Cornelius smiled down at her sweetly and reminded her, "You're beautiful, Thumbelina." He continued to dance with her even as she slipped a little in surprise and ceased her humming.

She burrowed her head into his shoulder and whispered, "Thank you, Cornelius" before kissing his cheek. He turned his head and gave her a proper kiss as she pulled away.

"I'm lucky to have found you, Thumbelina." He dropped his head on her shoulder and hugged her to him. "You don't know how scared I got the longer it took me to find you."

"Well, you found me. You can relax now, my prince." Thumbelina smiled at him and ran her hand through his hair. She began to sway and hummed to a familiar tune. She felt him smile into her shoulder as he hummed a few notes before whispered words joined the song.

 _Let me be your wings  
Let me be your only love  
Let me take you far beyond the stars-_

Cornelius twirled Thumbelina around before going back to swaying next to the fireplace.

 _Let me be your wings  
Let me lift you high above  
Everything we're dreaming of  
Will soon be ours_

Thumbelina giggled as Cornelius dipped her.

 _Anything that you desire  
Anything at all…_

Wrapping her arms around his neck, Thumbelina didn't let him have all the fun as she too began to sing her verse of the song softly to her love.

 _You will be my wings  
You will be my only love  
You will take me far beyond the stars…_

Cornelius grinned down at her and sang the next line.

 _Let me be your wings_

 _You will life me high above_

They harmonized on the next line.

 _Everything we're dreaming of will soon be ours…_

Cornelius twirled Thumbelina around his arm again before bringing her close to him, her face barely a breath from his, as they continued to harmonize.

 _Everything that we desire  
Anything at all_

Pressing her hand to his cheek, Thumbelina sang her line-

 _Everyday you'll take me higher…_

-and Cornelius finished with-

… _and I'll never let you fall_

-before giving her a kiss. Thumbelina giggled at this sweet moment.

Suddenly, Cornelius lifted her up and Thumbelina quickly threw her arms around his neck as she gazed down at him confusedly. "Thumbelina, will you marry me?"

Though surprised at the question, Thumbelina grinned in happiness and whispered, "I will."

They shared a kiss.


	2. Chapter 2

**Winter**

~0~

Thumbelina struggled to breath, her head barely managing to remain above the water. Her arms and legs tingled with exhaustion and she could feel panic ripping at her throat. She couldn't feel the floor beneath her feet and once again she wondered why anyone enjoyed taking a dip in the water as a pastime if it just led them to struggles and fatigue. Still, Cornelius was loathed to leave her defenseless again if another situation similar to the toad incident were to arise again.

When an arm wrapped around her waist, she let out a sigh of relief and leaned back into the masculine body behind her, letting him take most of her weight. "Can we stop now, Cornelius? We've been at this for days," she whined.

"Oh. Come on, sweetheart. You've almost got it down."

Thumbelina pouted. "I'm tired. Please? At least, I know how to float now."

Cornelius raised a brow at her. "And how will you get away from enemies by floating?"

Thumbelina turned around in his arms and bit her lip. "You'll be there to save me."

Feeling her legs wrap around his waist to stay afloat, Cornelius smirked. "And not that I plan on not being there, but what if I'm not?" He beat his legs faster as they sunk slightly and grabbed hold of her thighs. He would be lying if he said he didn't think less than innocent thoughts about their current position.

"I'll have Jacquimo?" This was meant to be a statement.

"Nope! You need to learn to swim not just float. Come on, you're almost there. We've still got the rest of winter for this." He grinned at hearing her little groan of displeasure.

Sometime later, after Thumbelina managed to nag Cornelius into giving her the rest of the day off, both lover birds rested on her new makeshift bed. Thumbelina's back was pressed to Cornelius' front and he took pleasure in skimming his hand up and down her arm. It was a comfortable silence and Thumbelina struggled not to give in to sleep, so instead she asked something she's been wondering about for a while.

"So, what exactly do you do as a prince?"

Cornelius paused briefly in his stroking and frowned a little. "It's not as great as you think it is. Why do you wish to know?" he said, entwining his fingers with hers.

"I don't know. It's just… I never thought there could be other people my size in the world. I used to wish I was big," she admitted, playing with his hand. Turning her head, she rubbed her cheek against his, and said, "Until you came along." She smiled. "So, I'm curious. What do you do?"

"Well, I fly around, ride Buzzby, find beautiful maidens, rescue them, fall in love-" he started mischievously, until Thumbelina gave him a light slap to his hand in protest.

"That's not funny, Cornelius."

Cornelius snickered. "Well, it's true." He was met with silence as Thumbelina pouted. He sighed. "It's not all fun and games, you know? It's actually really annoying… having so many responsibilities placed on your shoulders. I can't do anything I want without Mother being there reminding me of them! Why'd you think I left so fast when I heard them calling for me?" He turned her to face him. "I was supposed to be helping with the Golding of the Leaves." He snorted. "Well, more like just sit there and" he imitated his mom for this part "learn and observe for when you take the crown, son. How else are you meant to learn? How am I supposed to rest in retirement if you don't know how to do anything?" His voice went back to normal. "I just want to enjoy my life before I'm saddled with the crown."

Thumbelina frowned and moved to rub the crinkle out of her love's eyebrows. "How soon do you have to take the crown?"

"When I reach twenty-one or my father steps down or if he-" he bobbed his head, unable to finish the thought.

"You still have time."

Cornelius scoffed. "Yeah, not like my Mother cares. I miss one event and she thinks I'll fail the first day I'm King."

Thumbelina twirled some hair on the back of Cornelius' neck in hopes of calming him down. "What about your father? Can't you talk to him?"

"Father doesn't like to get in between us. He'd just act as peacemaker when one of us gets too worked up."

Thumbelina pulled him closer. "I'm sure your mother cares, Cornelius. She seems to really worry over your future… and you."

Cornelius shrugged. "She doesn't have to be so anxious about it." Not liking the change of mood and not wishing to continue talking about his overbearing mother, Cornelius changed the subject. "Enough about me. I want to know about you."

"What do you want to know?"

"Hmm?" Cornelius hummed with false contemplation. "How about…" Thumbelina started shrieking. "Are you ticklish?" Cornelius laughed loudly, not waiting for an answer and making a show of wriggling his fingers down Thumbelina's sides.

Their combined laughter could be heard by Thumbelina's mother, who stood cooking downstairs in the kitchen.

~0~

A few weeks later, the winter that had so plagued the land of Paris finally seemed to be relenting when rays of sunshine rained down upon the earth. As can be expected, however, the melting snow which littered the ground made it almost impossible to walk outside without accidently stepping into puddles of the stuff. Even so, there remained a chill in the air that sent chills down any unfortunate soul who had to go outside and which depressed anyone who was just killing for some time outside, even in light of recent events.

Thumbelina sighed sadly from her place on the windowsill. She hugged her legs and dropped her head onto her knees. She wished spring would come already. She wished she could just get out of her house already without fear of getting lost in the never endless white. She wished the flowers would bloom and the earth would smell like dew and grass again. Most importantly, she wished the sun would shine again.

"It looks like the Annual Bloom is coming soon," came a masculine voice from behind her. Thumbelina turned her head to see Cornelius come sit beside her.

"How do you know?"

Cornelius sent her a level look and answered, "I've seen the signs way too many times. Trust me. By the end of the week, we'll be flying over countless flower beds." And bumping his shoulder with hers, continued "And then you can meet my parents."

Thumbelina propped her elbows on her knees and cupped her cheeks, not as happy as Cornelius hoped she would be. "I don't know if they'll like me, Cornelius."

"What?" He threw an arm around her shoulders. "I _know_ they'll love you. I've told you this. They're very eager to meet you."

Thumbelina looked at him sharply. "You've talked to them about me?"

Cornelius cocked his head. "Some." He said, stretching the truth. "They know _of_ you. I couldn't really say much. You had been kidnapped at the time, so… But I know they want meet you."

Thumbelina sighed. "How do I make a good impression?"

Cornelius pretended to think about it. "Hmm… perhaps, be yourself?" he said cheekily.

"I mean it, Cornelius."

"Look, Thumbelina, think about it. Within one night, you had me completely in love with you. I'm positive that you'll win my parents over just like you won me." He dropped his head onto hers and dropped a kiss on her forehead. "Don't worry about it, ok?"

"I'll stop worrying about it when I meet them already."

~0~

As promised, the end of the week gave way to new blossoms outside and renewed foliage. Rivers went back to streaming water downhill. Bugs went back to feeding on flowers. Animals went back to breeding. And the sun started shining again.

All this was taken in by a very happy Thumbelina. Stretching her arms out, Thumbelina turned her face up to the sky and soaked in the heat through her skin. Breathing in the smell of dew in the air, and feeling a slight breeze raise goosebumps along her arms, Thumbelina beamed in pure joy. She giggled and did a little dance around the patio. She didn't notice a certain boy watching her from above until he spoke.

"Something humorous, milady?" Cornelius teased, flying down to stand behind her.

"Oh Cornelius, isn't it amazing! Winter is over!" Thumbelina laughed and spun to face him.

Cornelius chuckled at her enthusiasm. "I told you the Annual Bloom was soon," he replied, coming up to her. He moved a strand of hair away from her face and behind her ear. "It's nice to see you happy, but are you ready to meet my parents?"

Thumbelina could feel a bout of nervousness at the question. "Oh. Do we have to go now?" she whined.

"The sooner you do it, sweetheart, the sooner you get it over with." He admonished her.

Thumbelina raised an eyebrow before relenting. "Ok. Fine."

"Great. Let's go." Cornelius said cheerfully, pulling on Thumbelina's arm to guide her to Buzzby.

A couple of minutes later, Thumbelina and Cornelius could be found flying above a meadow a couple hundred yards away from Thumbelina's house. In fact, if Thumbelina thought about it, her mother could very well reach the spot within five minutes, which meant she could come visit whenever she could. Thumbelina grinned at the thought.

Suddenly, Buzzby spiraled downward and alighted on an orange blossom with a petal downturned as a form of entranceway. From further in the flower, a frantic voice came crying once Cornelius announced his presence.

"I'm back!" Cornelius called out.

"Cornelius, my sunshine!" came a female voice, as rapid steps could be heard coming toward them. "Where have you been?! We've been so worried about you! Are you hurt?" His mother said, dragging her hands along his body to search for any injuries, ignoring Cornelius' protests. Noticing Thumbelina still sitting atop Buzzby, Tabitha raised a brow and stepped back a step. "Is this the girl you've been searching for?" she asked, as Colbert came up behind her.

Cornelius smiled and turned, grabbing hold of Thumbelina's waist and bringing her down to stand beside him against him. "Mother, Father, I'd like you to meet Thumbelina." He said with pride.

"Hello, my name is Thumbelina. It's so nice to meet you." Thumbelina said enthusiastically, masking her nervousness at meeting the King and Queen of the fairies. She curtsied for good measure.

"It's nice to finally meet the girl my son has fallen for." Tabitha said somewhat reserved, making Cornelius frown out of Thumbelina's sight and Thumbelina's smile to fall slightly. Hearing this, Colbert spoke up, placing a hand on Tabitha's lower back as a silent reprimand. Shifting her eyes to him, and seeing the frown on her son's face, Tabitha shifted her stance a little and smiled at Thumbelina.

"It's nice to meet you too, Thumbelina. You may call me Colbert, and this is Tabitha." Colbert said warmly, making Thumbelina's smile lift up again. "We've heard so much about you." Cornelius relaxed a little at his father's attitude before tensing back up at the next bit. "Although, he didn't tell us you didn't…?" He gestured to the wings on his back.

"Oh. Yes." Thumbelina mumbled, looking quickly to Cornelius.

"If you don't mind my asking, did something happen…"

Realizing that his father thought Thumbelina lost her wings, Cornelius said, "Oh no, Father. Thumbelina wasn't born with wings. She's human, actually."

His parents looked shocked at that. "Human? Aren't humans supposed to be…taller?"

Thumbelina spoke up before Cornelius could with, "Well, according to my Mother, I wasn't actually born to her but from a barleycorn flower." She twiddled her fingers wondering if her lack of wings would be what stopped the two from accepting her as a daughter-in-law.

"A barleycorn?" Colbert said slowly, obvious contemplation in his voice.

"Well, anyway, that's not important right now. I have more important news." Cornelius butted in, and then with more enthusiasm, added, "I've asked Thumbelina to marry me and she accepted." He grinned, wrapping an arm around Thumbelina's waist again.

"What?" Tabitha asked, finally stepping back in. "Hold on a moment. We haven't even heard the story of how you both met, yet." She cocked a skeptical eyebrow at the two lovebirds.

"Yeah, that's right." Cornelius said slowly, before proceeding to explain how he had skipped out on the Golding of the Leaves – to which his mother scoffed – and found ("Spied, you mean. We're talking about that later, son." Cornelius chuckled nervously) Thumbelina on her windowsill, humming, and proceeded to investigate the situation. Even Tabitha couldn't help from twitching out a smile when Colbert announced that the couple's dancing and singing reminded him of his and Tabitha's courting days, to which Thumbelina cooed and Cornelius ignored lest he gag like teenagers are want to do when reminded their parents were once youthful too. For good measure, the couple also proceeded to explain Thumbelina's kidnapping and subsequent rescue, with Thumbelina or Cornelius filling in on details their partner missed during the storytelling.

No longer being as ignorant about the girl promised to her son, Tabitha was visibly less indifferent when she remarked, "That's quite the story there. I'm glad you're both safe, dears." And giving a small smile to Thumbelina, said "Give your mother a thank you for me. I know this knucklehead could be quite a stubborn handful when he wants to be." Cornelius cringed and backed away when Tabitha ruffled his hair in accordance to her words.

Feeling a little more relaxed at her tone, Thumbelina giggled and added, "Oh yes, he certainly made things more lively at home."

"Hey!" Cornelius protested. "As if you didn't play a hand in it."

"You added to it."

Tension dissipated, the three fairies and one human continued to chat with each other, trying to get to know each other better. As time passed on, Cornelius lived up to his words as Tabitha's reservations about his choice of wife continued to dwindle until she happily invited Thumbelina to stay for lunch with the family. Thumbelina grinned and happily accepted.

After a successful supper, Cornelius took Thumbelina to the top of a tree and set her on a branch that overlooked the complete Vale of the Fairies. He poked fun at her for being nervous over meeting his family and giddily remarked how he was right that being herself would win them over. Thumbelina frowned and lightly slapped his arm, pointing out how he was frowning at his mother's initial attitude so he wasn't completely sure how the meeting was going to go either. Grasping her hand, Cornelius pulled her close and kissed her lips before she could continue with that line of thought. Besides, it was all over and his parents were as in love with her as he was.

Knowing what he was doing, and before his kisses could render her thoughts into mush, Thumbelina pulled away and leapt further down the branch. Cornelius let out a protest and chased after her, ensuring a game of cat and mouse that ended with Thumbelina taking an unfortunate tumble to the ground below. Cornelius was quick to catch her and, much like what happened after he did pretty much the same thing the first night they met, made a show of dancing with her across the air. Many of his subjects peeked out their makeshift windows when a familiar lullaby floating down to their ears. The future princess was singing to her beau from her place in his arms.

Their attentions quickly shifted to the surrounding foliage where a grand number of flowers began to bloom prematurely, only they didn't look premature as they shined and colored the Vale with the beautiful signs of spring. The couple in the air didn't notice this particular happening but two other royals certainly did.

"Colbert, dear, do you remember what the girl said about her birth?" Tabitha asked, tilting her head to look at Colbert's face.

"You mean how she was born from a barleycorn flower?"

"Yes." Turning back around, and spying a growing lily not far from theirs, continued "Do you think, perhaps, that she might be…"

"A spirit of the season?" Colbert finished for her. "She might. It would certainly explain how all these flowers are blooming."

"There hasn't been one born in decades." Tabitha exclaimed in mild surprise. "Do you think Cornelius suspects…?"

"No." Colbert sighed out. "No, I don't think he does. Doesn't matter much anyway. This just shows she was meant for our son." He wrapped his arm around his wife's waist as they both turned to watch their son and his love dancing in blissful ignorance of their audience.

~0~

At having gone over so well with Cornelius' family, Thumbelina was soon coming back and forth between her home and the Vale. This was good as just a few days after meeting the parents, Cornelius' plan to spread word of the rescue around the Vale proved fruitful as a certain swallow found his way to the meadow the fairies were situated at. He came tumbling in with a merry squawk and a bonjour to the surprised lovebirds having a picnic in an empty patch of land. Thumbelina was quicker to recognize the bird and leapt up to hug him.

"Jacquimo, It's you!" she cried happily.

"Of course! _C'est moi_. Oh, Thumbelina. I found you. I have found you." He laughed, using a finger to rub Thumbelina's hair. He glanced at the boy, now standing, and quickly exclaimed once he figured out who it was. "Ah! The fairy prince!" He took of his hat and bowed. "I am Jacquimo." He announced with flourish.

"Please, call me Cornelius." The fairy prince bowed in return. "I've heard so much about you. Thank you for helping Thumbelina when I couldn't."

" _Pas de probl_ _è_ _me_ , Prince Cornelius."

"Why did it take you so long to find us, Jacquimo?" pipped up Thumbelina.

"Ah! I was having a very bad day, _Mademoiselle_. I got a thorn in my wing." He gestured to the wing in question. "I fell through a _trou_. I wake up to see a _souris_ watching me and my wing is feeling better. I said _merci_ and _voila!_ I am here." He spread his wings with a smile.

Smiling at the over simplified recount, Thumbelina decided not to press for details and instead began to bring Jacquimo up to date on what he missed, the engagement and their upcoming wedding – to which Jacquimo was eagerly invited and to which he eagerly accepted – and, as a means of continuing chit chat so that Cornelius and Jacquimo can get to know each other, on the couple's recent visit to the Jitterbugs that ended with Thumbelina and the Jitterbugs playing a prank on Cornelius by having him believe Thumbelina got lost again. Cornelius didn't take too kindly to that game and Thumbelina spent over an hour apologizing.

The three would spend over three hours talking.

~0~

As Thumbelina had only been found in mid-winter, and she was a complete mystery to the Royal King and Queen, the wedding between Prince Cornelius and she was scheduled to occur at the end of spring, or Summer Solstice, instead of the traditional Start of the Annual Bloom wedding customary to fairy weddings. Wanting to be married as soon as possible, Cornelius and Thumbelina objected to waiting for the following year so preparation was quickly underway. First, the wedding venue was to be chosen, and wanting her mother to be an avid participant in the wedding party, Thumbelina was quick to suggest the nice and spacious backyard of her mother's house. Not seeing a problem with it, the royals went on to the guest list, the food, decorations, drinks, transportation, and blah blah blah that Cornelius found was best left to his nick-picky mother. After all, as long as Thumbelina became his wife, who cared what the tables looked like or what color the runway was, right? Yeah, it was best to leave the worrying for his detail-oriented mother.

His role in the planning of the wedding came in when a very annoyed and very set-on-having-Thumbelina toad came barreling in to the Vale five days before the wedding was set to occur. Tumbling down very unceremoniously from some branch up above, where surely it was spying down on the fairies and where a wingless beetle was currently bemoaning his loss, the toad frightened many of the fairies into their homes and visiting jitterbugs into last minute shelters when he landed next to Thumbelina. With a very angry expression, the toad proclaimed, "I marry her!", making Cornelius jumped up quickly to defend his lady love, sword at the ready.

Undeniably upset at the audacity of this toad to seek her out after having kidnapped her and almost forcing her to marry him, Thumbelina yelled into his face "No! I no marry you! Why don't you just go home?!"

Already upset from having found out his 'fiancé' was marrying someone else, Grundel was not going to let her get away from him. He accompanied his "No!" with a grab at Thumbelina's arm.

"Let go of me!" She kicked at his legs in self-defense and ran behind an advancing Cornelius for protection.

Incensed by the toad's refusal to leave and his man handling of Thumbelina, Cornelius came to his fiancé's defense. "We meet at last, Mr. Toad." He gritted his teeth.

"Fairy prince? No!" The toad growled, jumping up and breaking off a dead branch as a makeshift club. "Thumbelina marry me!"

With a thrust, Cornelius made the first move toward battle. "I don't think so."

What ensued was a dance of parries, pivots, and retreats, with the prize being the hand of a woman who so loved the man with wings adjourned upon his back and who loved her back with as much strength as the sun shined upon the two that very morn. With a cry, that very same lady turned and threw toward the toad's direction whatever it is her hands managed to grasp. To her humiliation, it was but a handful of flowers, followed by a goblet, that nevertheless, managed to distract the toad and allowed Cornelius to mock his opponent through a poke on his butt.

"Aah!"

Mockingly, Cornelius said, "Ha ha. Show me what you got." Internally, he was giving a mental thanks to his father for insisting to continue and finish the sword fighting lessons he had so diligently tried to be truant from. Now that he had a partner that gave him motivation to learn how to defend, he took to the lessons like a starving man would to food. It seemed those lessons would be not for naught.

Ducking from a swipe to his head from the club, Cornelius made his own jab across the toad's legs, effectively knocking the toad over on his back. Unfortunately, he was distracted from finishing the duel when his soon-to be wife's scream came from behind him, along with a high-pitched nasally voice saying "Ha ha! Hiya, toots!"

In an uncharacteristic show of strength, Thumbelina answered the beetle's greeting with a punch to the nose, a move taught to her by Cornelius himself.

Having paused at such a show from his normally gentle bride, Cornelius failed to see the club coming toward his head so the next thing he knew was how close the ground actually was to his face as he fell over. Recovering quickly, he glanced up and saw the toad taking the chance to stalk toward Thumbelina, mayhap to kidnap her again, and made quickly to hold the toad back by a grab to his leg.

Falling over himself, Grundel reached out a hand to land a punch to the fairy prince but at that moment recruitments in the form of fairy guards came in to play. Vastly outnumbered by the royal guards, the beetle and the toad were quickly disarmed and detained, much to the protest of the two.

"She marry me!" shouted Grundel as he was taken away.

The beetle's moustache twitched in agitation. "You just couldn't've picked another toad, could you?"

Annoyed by the two, as they disrupted the scheduled lunchtime, a guard growled out, "Quiet!"

Grumbles could be heard fading away as the couple stood together, Cornelius rubbing at Thumbelina's hand as she winced at the pain coming from her fingers. Knowing how to throw a punch was one thing, but actually doing so was another thing altogether as Thumbelina gasped at the instant wave of shock that traveled up her hand when her knuckles connected with the beetle's nose.

"I know you're hurting right now, but that was the best thing I've ever seen." Cornelius teased.

Despite the pain, Thumbelina smiled with pride. "It was, wasn't it?"

~0~

The end of the Annual Bloom rolled around much faster than anyone expected after the recent excitement, and it was with a spring in her step that Thumbelina flounced out of her childhood room for the last time dressed completely in a gorgeous white silk dress made from spider's webs on the big day. After meeting with the beetle and the toad for hopefully the last time, Thumbelina decided to spend the rest of her unmarried days next to her mother who, while extremely happy for her daughter's fortunes, was sad over her little bird flying the nest, both figuratively and literally. Receiving no objection from her beau, who secretly was having a hard time keeping his hands to himself and needed a few days away from her to control himself, she left the very next morning.

Now here she was with her mother coming up the rear and her soon-to-be mother-in-law up front walking to the wedding she had dreamed about ever since a certain fairy boy alighted upon her windowsill.

"You look beautiful, my dear." Thumbelina's mother said, giggling as she picked up her skirt to walk down the stairs after picking up Thumbelina from the ground. Tabitha flew close and reaffirmed the comment with, "just splendid, darling."

Giggling herself, Thumbelina thanked them profusely. Being her wedding day, the day many girls such as herself would remember for the rest of their lives, Thumbelina couldn't stop her grinning even as her cheeks hurt from the action. Her grin, which Cornelius reflected when he saw his beautiful bride coming down the aisle towards him, stayed in place through all the proceedings, through the vows of marriage, through the kiss, and even as Cornelius had to wipe away her happy tears as the crowd shouted in glee and professed loyalty to the newfound princess of the fairies.

Coming back down the aisle as the festivities winded down, Thumbelina saw fairly large petals falling down on the runway and looked up to greet her mother. "Hello, Mother!" She received a wave which she eagerly returned. Distracted by her mother, she didn't see Cornelius bow to his new mother-in-law nor did she see when he sneakily stretched his arms out towards her until her feet left the ground and she was draped across his arms with a squeal. The crowd cheered.

"Oof! Too many skirts."

"Cornelius!" Thumbelina hissed in surprise.

Cornelius only grinned in response as they glided down the aisle toward what was supposed to be their transportation until Cornelius whistled for his trusty steed, Buzzby, to come instead. He smirked thinking about the cringes his parents were sure to be sporting before smiling genuinely when Thumbelina settled in behind him. When she let go, he looked back to see she had tossed her bouquet and it had bounced off her dear friend Jacquimo's head and into his hat. Both couples smiled in amusement at the swallows' exuberant display at having caught it.

Snaking an arm around her waist, Cornelius gave her a taste of what was to come with a kiss to her lips. He smiled into the kiss when he felt her eager response. He was ever so thankful that their wedding night would be spent in a special flower chamber set up not far from Thumbelina's mother's house or from the Vale as Cornelius couldn't fathom having to wait any longer than a few minutes to have Thumbelina all to himself.

Five minutes on Buzzby later and his wait was over as they landed on a bed of flowers. An open array of tulips were strung together, petals open and stems bent to create a grand bed for the newlyweds, certain petals enclosing the walls of the bridal chamber. To provide shade and privacy for the lovers were lily-of-the-valleys draped elegantly up above, their leaves cocooning the little cove against the heat of the sun.

To Thumbelina, this little spot of heaven was beyond even her wildest dreams. To Cornelius, the sight of Thumbelina standing in what was to be the spot of their first coming together was his dreams come true.

He gave Thumbelina a few seconds to admire the room before moving in behind her, wrapping his arms around her torso and bringing his lips to the nape of her neck kissing it delicately. Reaching up, he pulled away the hair decoration so that he may thread his hands through her flowing auburn hair. Thumbelina sighed breathlessly at feeling his lips kiss up and down her flesh, his hands moving up and down caressing her belly before one reached up and turned her face towards his to meet his lips.

Almost as if that touch ignited a flame of passion between the two, hands began to travel and breaths began to mingle as the lovers moved to complete a dance neither one understood nor knew but were eagerly awaiting with wanton desire. Hair was ruffled and skin was caressed as these two faithful lovers explored the unique contours and dips of their partner's bodies. Goosebumps arose and shivers ran the same course lips had just mapped. Clothes were shed, eyes took in new sights, blushes colored cheeks, and warm bodies pressed together as Cornelius shielded himself inside his wife's body, kissing her tears away when she cried out at the intrusion. He moaned her name when she gave consent to continue and their bodies rocked to a rhythm only they knew until, spent and satisfied, Cornelius drooped over Thumbelina, heaving gasps and shuddering in the aftermath of the experience. Hugging him to her, Thumbelina placed a kiss upon his brow and relaxed her hold on his hips, breathing heavily herself and willing her thoughts to lay only on her husband and not the soreness down below. Once his breath was captured, Cornelius lifted his head and stared down at his love, whose flushed cheeks and dazed eyes warmed his heart.

Not wanting to crush her he moved to the side, grabbed hold of Thumbelina's waist, and dragged her onto his chest as he lay on his back. He mischievously ran his eyes from bottom to top, stopping at her face, where he saw a brief flash of a wince before she tried to hide it behind a smile. "You're hurt…"

"No…"

"Don't lie to me Thumbelina."

"Well, yes. A little. It's normal, Cornelius."

"I know it's normal…"

"Oh?"

"Not because of that! You're the only one for me, sweetheart."

"And you me."

"Good…It was Mother who told me anyway."

Thumbelina snickered. "She talked to me about it too."

"So that's why you were red that day. You couldn't even look me in the eye." Cornelius snickered, thinking back to about a week ago when he could have sworn Thumbelina was avoiding him, ducking behind pillars of stems or behind bushes whenever he spied her red hair and she saw him first.

Thumbelina frowned and scooted back to get away from his teasing when she stopped at feeling a certain muscle poking at her, Cornelius giving a groan below her as his hands held her hips still. "Cornelius!" Thumbelina gasped.

"I can't help it, Thumbelina, with you sitting on me like that." Cornelius smirked. "You're just too beautiful." He pulled her head down to prove it to her. "I love you, my wife." Cornelius said against her lips. He wrapped his arms around her back to draw her against his chest.

Thumbelina pulled a hair breath's away, her lips still lightly touching his, to say the words that would seal the deal that night. "I love you too, my husband."

Kissing again, neither one noticed the protrusions appearing on Thumbelina's back until Cornelius, feeling the heat of the moment leading towards more intimate things, brushed his hands along Thumbelina's bare back. He pulled away just in time to see the protrusions expand into gorgeous transparent fairy wings, outlined in the glowing dust that sets them apart from other types.

His eyes widened slightly before returning to normal, a smile quickly taking over his face.

"What?" Thumbelina asked lowly.

"Look behind you."

Confusedly, Thumbelina turned, and stared in disbelief at the foreign pair of wings coming from behind her, unable to believe they were attached to her back until they flapped in response to her growing bewilderment. "Wings! I have wings!" She turned her astonished face to Cornelius, whose smile grew into a grin at seeing her excitement. "My very own wings!" She laughed happily before kissing him in glee, certain he had something to do it, though that wasn't the case as Cornelius was as puzzled as she over how it happened, not having been informed of his parent's suspicion that she might be a rare spirit of the season, a type of fairy known to be wingless but powerful enough to bring about seasonal changes in individual unique fashions.

Nevertheless, not one to ignore the affections of his love, Cornelius quickly moved to bring back the lovey-dovey atmosphere, pouncing on Thumbelina gently, laying her back on the bed as he climbed over her, stroking her chest, and resting his hips between her legs, kissing her lips, breast, tummy, and further. Groans and moans echoed off the walls of their dwelling as once more husband and wife united, sweat mingled, breaths were lost, and they saw the universe and danced on Saturn's rings once more.

Catching their breaths again, they lay still, gazing up at the stars that shone through the cracks in the plants above, savoring that moment of piece, before they shuffled to lay side by side again. Throwing an arm around her waist, the new husband pulled his wife to his side, draped a blanket across their bared bodies, and gave in to the pull of sleep. It felt like only minutes had passed when his eyes opened again at the feel of Thumbelina's fingers running through the nape of his hair.

Several days had passed since their first night together and each night had been spent in the throes of passion, each getting more and more acquainted with their partner's dips and curves, sweet spots and dud spots. They tired each other out and the few moments they spent awake not loving each other physically was spent regaining some strength back through meals and sunbaking, each providing little insights into what their childhoods looked like when they felt up to it, until desires rose again and they returned to doing what new lovers were want to do.

Gazing at her, Cornelius took in the sight of her ruffled hair, sleepy eyes, and bruised lips pulled back into a small smile. He lifted a hand and caressed said lips. "Good morning, sweetheart."

Having his deep raspy voice wash over her combined with his peaceful yet sleepy face had heat simmering down her body and Thumbelina bit her lip in response. "Good morning, husband," she whispered.

He pulled a lock of hair behind her ear. "We have to go back today."

"I know." She responded sadly. "I don't want to get up yet."

"Neither do I." A pause. "I just realized my Mother knows where we are."

"So?"

"So, I prefer not having her barge in here all worried about us not having shown up when we were supposed to." Cornelius scowled briefly before relaxing his face, "Besides you're to be crowned my official princess tonight. I wouldn't want you to miss that." He smiled.

"Just a few minutes more?"

"Hmmm. Fine, after this."

Thumbelina squealed as she was pushed back down and tickled. "Stop, Stop!"

Cornelius laughed along with her. "Who's the greatest husband in the world?"

"You are! You are, so stop!" She laughed heartedly until her open mouth was closed by his. She pulled away and they gazed at each other.

Pulling her hair away from her face, Thumbelina observed, "Today is the first day of the rest of our lives together."

"No. It's already started."

~0~

 **The End.**


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